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The Sight/Chapter 16
Chapter description Jaypaw's PoV :Jaypaw lies on the halfrock and listens to Firestar tell Squirrelflight to take Cloudtail, Cinderpaw, Thornclaw, and Poppypaw and bring back fresh-kill. Jaypaw dangles his tired paws over the edge of the halfrock, and notes that the battle had left him battered and scratched, but he can tend to his own wounds. Leafpool leaves a trail of marigold as she goes to apply a salve to Stormfur's shoulder’s scratches. Hollypaw treats Millie, but Jaypaw is confused when he detects concern from his sister's paws. He wonders if he could have beaten Owlpaw without Lionpaw's help, and tells himself that he could, since he had been able to pinpoint the ShadowClan apprentice with scent and sound. However, he is doubtful, as the battle had been too fast for him to keep up, and the sounds and thuds from the ShadowClan apprentice had often been misleading. :Jaypaw thinks that he will never be a warrior. It is what he wants most, but he has to accept that he can't fight alone. Jaypaw is furious, and Leafpool's words about him being destined to be a medicine cat echo in his head. All his life he had imagined growing up to be a warrior, and he doesn’t know why he would have felt that way if StarClan had planned another destiny for him. :Firestar welcomes Brambleclaw back into camp, and the deputy reports that they remarked the trees. Jaypaw can sense that something is bothering his father, who continues that Oakfur had claimed ShadowClan had a right to their territory because ThunderClan had many non-Clanborn cats. Firestar growls that ShadowClan still believe that a cat must be Clanborn to be a warrior, and Brambleclaw meows he told him every ThunderClan cat was a warrior. Firestar raises his voice and says that every cat in ThunderClan deserves to be a warrior, but anxiety flashes from Dustpelt who says that ShadowClan spoke some truth, for ThunderClan has taken in more cats than any other, leaving them open to criticism. Stormfur snarls, asking if they care what other Clans think, and asks if any cat doubts his loyalty despite not being born in ThunderClan. Dustpelt points out that his father was a ThunderClan warrior, but Hazelpaw protests that she was born in the horseplace with Berrypaw and Mousepaw, and asks if any cat thinks they aren't worthy to train as warriors. Graystripe calls that belonging has nothing to do with blood. He says that he was born pure ThunderClan but is more of a stranger here than any cat, and that Millie was a kittypet only moons ago, but that she and Brook fought as hard as Firestar. Sorreltail agrees that loyalty is proven by what they do, not where they come from. Jaypaw sense doubt from Hollypaw, and she mews that the warrior code says they should drive strangers from their territory. Firestar meows that they took in cats who asked for help, and asks if the warrior code condemns them for showing mercy, going on that every cat they took in made the Clan stronger. The other cats mew in agreement. Firestar adds that Brambleclaw is still right to tell him what ShadowClan said. Graystripe challenges when they will let the other Clans tell them what to do, and Firestar promises that at the next Gathering he would make it clear that ThunderClan;s business is their own. He adds that they will defend their borders as they have always done. A ripple of approval passes through the hollow, but Jaypaw still senses tension, and know that he is not the only one who wonders how ThunderClan's mixed blood might change the way the other Clans think of them. :Later, while the other apprentices are asleep, Jaypaw is wide awake, and Leafpool's words still haunt him. He tries to persuade himself to he could learn to be a warrior, but his hopes get hollower every time he thinks about it. He decides he will go to the Moonpool, where there might be an answer for him. The gray tabby slips out of the den, and approaches the camp entrance, which is guarded by Brackenfur. He observes that Jaypaw is out late, and the apprentice says he couldn't sleep. Brackenfur agrees that it can be like that after a battle, and Jaypaw announces that he's going into the forest, expecting the warrior to be surprised, but Brackenfur isn't. He offers to go with Jaypaw, but the apprentice turns down the offer. Brackenfur guesses that he needs some time alone, and Jaypaw nods. The golden-brown tom goes on that he'll keep his ears pricked for Jaypaw just in case, and the apprentice is relieved that he has at least one cat that doesn’t fuss over him. He calls that he'll be back as soon as he can as he leaves the camp. :Jaypaw starts to feel less anxious as he climbs the slope, and the noise and flow of the Clan is gone. He follows the route he had taken with Leafpool toward WindClan territory, and the memory of it seems burned into his paws as he retraces the path. His hears the stream before his paws feel the ground turn to rock. He smells nothing dangerous, only clean, fresh air from the mountains. Jaypaw follows the stream upward until he is scrambling on the rocks that lead to the hollow. The whispering voices of cats surround him, and their presence is oddly reassuring. :Jaypaw pauses at the top of the path. Although he can't see anything, he can clearly picture the hollow and pool. The whispering grows louder, and as he follows the path down to the Moonpool, he hears murmuring welcomes. The scents of cats who seem familiar but he has no memory of floods around him. Pelts brush his as cats guide him down to the pool and a faint memory of a long, snowy journey, stirs in his mind. Jaypaw stops at the edge of the pool and lies down. He closes his eyes and touches the water with is nose. :The apprentice opens his eyes to find himself in lush woodland. He calls out to Bluestar, Lionheart, and Cinderpelt, but there is no reply. Frustrated, Jaypaw stands up and wanders into the trees, wondering why the voices welcomed him into the hollow but aren't greeting him. He resents how StarClan has to make everything so difficult, and only wants to know if he is meant to be a medicine cat. He is glad that at least warm and safe here, and can see. Jaypaw begins to run and finds that he is going so fast it feels like he is flying. :Suddenly, he feels emptiness ahead and, uneasy, slows his pace. Through the gaps in the trees, Jaypaw sees a wall of mist blocking his way. He pads forward and the mist begins to swirl around his paws, though the undergrowth becomes thinner and the trees around him grow stiff and lifeless. A voice calls his name, and Jaypaw’s pelt stands on end as he scans the murky forest. He makes out a figure that looks familiar, with broad shoulders and a wide muzzle remind him of Brambleclaw. The voice calls his voice again, and a second figure looms from the shadows, standing beside the first. They share the same strong shoulders and broad muzzle, and when Jaypaw mews, and the two cats approach him, their tabby pelts noted to be dark. The larger cat welcomes Jaypaw and tells him not be afraid, for they are kin. He introduces himself as Tigerstar, Jaypaw's father's father, and the other cat as Hawkfrost, Brambleclaw's brother. Jaypaw is astonished, remembering many nursery tales about Tigerstar's evil, and wonders what Tigerstar is doing here and why they came to him. Tigerstar meows that it is good to meet him, and Hawkfrost adds that Brambleclaw has three fine kits. Tigerstar purrs that he saw Jaypaw in battle, and inherited his father's skill. Jaypaw wonders why they are complimenting him when they must know he can't fight well. Tigerstar goes on that they can teach him how to improve his skills. Jaypaw searches the tom's gaze, and to his surprise, finds murky darkness instead of feelings and thoughts. He is uneasy and confesses that he isn't sure if he wants to be a warrior. Tigerstar snorts how any kin of his can say such a thing. He says it is bad enough with Mothwing as a medicine cat, though at least Hollypaw is beginning to realize her destiny is not as one. Jaypaw wonders what Tigerstar knows about his sister's destiny. :Hawkfrost urges the apprentice to let them teach him some fighting moves, so he'll see that he was born to be a warrior. Jaypaw thinks that Brightheart hadn’t taught him any fighting, obviously thinking it was a waste of time training a blind cat, and he wonders if the two cats might really be able to help. A swish in the ferns far behind Jaypaw makes him glance over his shoulder. Tigerstar asks who is there, and the apprentice recognizes Spottedleaf's mew, saying that she has to come and fetch Jaypaw back where he belongs. The she-cat emerges through the mist, and Jaypaw greets her. She nods but doesn't take her eyes off of Tigerstar and Hawkfrost. Tigerstar asks Jaypaw if he knows Spottedleaf, and the gray tom explains that she helped him when he fell over the cliff. Spottedleaf warns Jaypaw that he wandered too far, and Tigerstar reminds her that she did too, asking how she crossed the border. Spottedleaf replies that she came with StarClan's permission, and Tigerstar asks if they gave Jaypaw permission also. Spottedleaf doesn't answer, but orders Jaypaw to come with her. Jaypaw asks if Tigerstar and Hawkfrost can come also, but the medicine cat answers that they have chosen their own path. She turns and waits for Jaypaw, but he hesitates. The two tabbies had offered to give him what he wanted most. Spottedleaf urgently calls him, and Jaypaw knows he must choose between the cat he knows and trusts, and those he doesn't. He turns and follows Spottedleaf. :As she leads him, he glances over his shoulder, and sees Tigerstar's eyes blaze. Spottedleaf begins running and Jaypaw races after her, through the shadowy forest, until the trees become leafier. Jaypaw feels free and safe again, and Spottedleaf draws to a halt, telling him not to go there again. Jaypaw asks why, and she prompts why he came to share with StarClan. Jaypaw won't answer her questions if she won't answer his, and answers that he came because he could. Spottedleaf guesses that he came to find out where his true destiny lies, and Jaypaw asks how she knew. Spottedleaf counters how he found his way to the Moonpool despite being blind. Jaypaw queries if she will answer all his questions with more questions, and Spottedleaf apologizes, then mews that she cannot tell him more than he is ready to know. Jaypaw insists that he is ready to know everything, and asks why StarClan makes it so hard to get answers. The medicine cat responds that it is because they fear for him, and Jaypaw is frustrated that even StarClan treat him like a helpless kit. He snaps that Tigerstar and Hawkfrost think he is destined to be a warrior, but Spottedleaf asks if he trusts them. Jaypaw mews that he doesn't, and when she asks if he trusts her, he responds that he does. :Jaypaw can sense something inside her. Concentrating hard, he realizes that Spottedleaf is in love with Firestar, and wonders how that could be, as she left the forest long ago, and Firestar has another mate. Jaypaw searches farther, but there is something he cannot name. She mews that he has a remarkable gift, and can see what no other cat sees; he can go even where StarClan cannot, but must use the power for the good of his Clan. Jaypaw asks how, and Spottedleaf meows that he must become a medicine cat. Jaypaw doesn't want to hear that, and protests that he wants to be a warrior, but Spottedleaf exclaims that she has a gift. Jaypaw says that seeing in dreams is not a gift; that the rest of the Clan see all the time, yet Spottedleaf counters that they don't see what he sees, and can't go where he goes. Jaypaw sarcastically notes that visiting StarClan isn't a big deal, but the medicine cat hisses that it is. Jaypaw argues where it gets him, as the rest of his Clan think he is useless, and Spottedleaf responds that they don’t know the powers that he has. Jaypaw is confused, and Spottedleaf says that he has enough power to shape the destiny of his Clan. Jaypaw objects that he wants to be a warrior. Spottedleaf tells him to accept his destiny, and Jaypaw complains that it isn't fair. The StarClan she-cat's voice softens and she responds that she knows. Jaypaw feels weariness and Spottedleaf whispers that his gift is not a burden, but that he must be brave, because it has lots of power. Jaypaw tries to fight sleepiness and complains, but his legs buckle beneath him. :Jaypaw opens his eyes. The world is black again, and he aches with cold. He is lying beside the Moonpool and slowly gets to his paws and stretches, the image of StarClan’s hunting grounds still fresh in his mind as he follows the path out of the hollow. When he reaches the top, Jaypaw glances over his shoulder, and knows that the hollow is filled with starlight. The whispering voices rise again, and say that he must accept his destiny. At that moment, he knows that no matter what, he will never escape what he knew all along. Characters Major *Tigerstar *Hawkfrost *Spottedleaf }} Minor *Leafpool *Hollypaw *Millie *Brambleclaw *Dustpelt *Stormfur *Hazelpaw *Graystripe *Brook *Sorreltail *Brackenfur }} Mentioned *Cloudtail *Cinderpaw *Thornclaw *Poppypaw *Owlpaw *Oakfur *Berrypaw *Mousepaw *Bluestar *Lionheart *Cinderpelt *Lionpaw (Unnamed) *Mothwing *Brightheart }} Errors *When Jaypaw thinks about fighting Owlpaw, it says, "He'd been able to pinpoint the ShadowClan's apprentice by scent and sound." It should say, "He'd been able to pinpoint the ShadowClan apprentice by scent and sound." *When Spottedleaf tells Jaypaw that he has powers, she says, "Jaypaw, you have power enough to shape the destiny of your entire Clan." She says "power enough" instead of "enough power". Notes and references Category:The Sight Category:Chapter subpages Category:Power of Three arc